Mistletoe and Wine
by NikkiB1973
Summary: I am posting this early as I am going to be super busy over the next few weeks. This is my Christmas one shot. Set in New Moon in the first December after Edward left Bella. It features Jake, Bella, a bottle of wine and some mistletoe... Set in New Moon AU. Now a short multi-chapter story.
1. Chapter 1

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-I know this is early but I usually write a short story for Christmas, but as I have so much revision to catch up on I am posting this now in case I have no time later. Enjoy! Nikki B :D**_

Charlie glanced sideways at his daughter Bella as she stared rigidly in front of her, hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her gaze seemed unfocused and he winced when he saw a tear slip out of the corner of her eye. His hands gripped the steering wheel of the Cruiser as he turned his attention back to the road.

"Fucking Edward Cullen..." he thought to himself, if he ever saw that damn boy again...he felt his jaw clench and he tried to reign in his anger. It was supposed to be Christmas for god's sake. Billy Black had invited them both to spend Christmas day with them; it was just him and his son Jacob. Billy's daughters had once again made excuses not to return home for the holiday season. Rebecca was staying with her new husband's family and Rachel had been invited to Hawaii with some friends.

Charlie let out a resigned sigh, who would have thought Christmas would turn out like this. For some reason young Jacob had been excited when he heard that Bella was coming for the day. Charlie couldn't imagine why, she was hardly going to be good company. He chanced another glance at her and shook his head. She was now sitting hunched up with her arm across her middle almost as if she was in pain. He felt guilty for inflicting their company on the Black family. He had pre warned Billy, but his old friend had still insisted they come.

He parked the police cruiser carefully and turned off the engine. The resulting silence was deafening. "We're here now Bells..."

Nothing...

"Bells we are here, kiddo..." Charlie's voice sounded sharper then he intended but he was getting increasingly frustrated with his daughter. He was trying his hardest to empathise with her but seriously high school romances ended all the time, he had never seen any other kids react like Bella had. She was like a freakin zombie.

Bella finally raised her head and stared at him dully. "Dad?"

"We are here Bells..." he said more gently this time.

"Oh, okay..." she opened the door to the cruiser on autopilot and waited by the passenger side for him to follow her.

Charlie felt his stomach sink; it was going to be a long day...

XXXXXX

"Hey, dad they're here..." Jacob said excitedly. He ran toward the front door and yanked it open all ready to give Bella an enthusiastic greeting. He couldn't believe that he was getting to spend Christmas day with her. His dad had warned him that she was still fairly fragile after the break up with her boyfriend, but he wasn't worried. He was good at fixing things and he was determined to work his magic on Bella.

Billy tried to hide his smile at his son's exuberance. He had spent the best part of the morning in the bathroom trying on different clothes and mucking about with his long hair, all in a blatant attempt to impress Bella Swan. He hoped that Bella would be feeling a bit brighter today, it was Christmas after all. Billy watched as his son opened the door and greeted Charlie happily. He heard a loud gasping sound as Jacob flung his arms around Bella and lifted her off of her feet in greeting. When she finally emerged into the front room, her eyes were wide open and she seemed flustered.

"Hello Bella, good to see you..." Billy said softly.

Bella appeared dazed, Jacob was once again by her side babbling about the Christmas decorations he had made himself. He took her hand and led her around the room and pointed out all his hard work. Bella still seemed a bit out of it but she mustered a small smile when he showed her the decorated tree. Charlie too was watching his daughter worriedly, he felt a smidgeon of relief that she was trying to make a small effort with Jacob. Well at least she appeared to be listening to the kid. He tore his gaze away from her and greeted Billy.

"Thanks for the invite..."

"No problem, it was just going to be me and Jake anyway. I thought it would be good for him to have another youngsters company today instead of just mine..." Billy gave Charlie a sympathetic smile.

Charlie nodded. He glanced back at Bella. Jacob was now leading her back outside, he heard the boy telling his daughter that he wanted to show her his masterpiece. Bella followed Jacob placidly out of the house, her eyes far away. He turned his attention back to Billy. "I don't know what to do for her..." he admitted in despair.

Billy shrugged his shoulders. "There is nothing you can do Chief, she has to work through this in her own way."

Charlie ran a hand through his greying hair. "Well how about a beer?"

"Now you're talking..." Billy chuckled as he turned his wheelchair around and headed for the kitchen.

XXXXXX

Jacob pulled the tarpaulin off the car and whipped around and gave Bella a huge grin. "Ta dah...what do you think?"

Bella had sat down on an old upturned crate; she was staring at her feet, one arm slung across her waist. Her long hair fanned around her, hiding her face. She made no effort to answer.

"Bella...I said what do you think about my car?" Jacob felt hurt by her indifference. Here he was making every effort to keep her entertained and she was just ignoring him.

Bella still did not say anything. Jacob hunkered down in front of her and reached out to pull her hair away from her face. He used his other hand to tap her forehead. She jumped like a startled rabbit. "Oh so you are alive then, I thought you had turned into a zombie..." he joked.

"Zombie?" Bella's voice was so muted that Jacob had trouble hearing her response. What was wrong with this girl? His dad had warned him she was suffering with some sort of depression but he had not expected this. All his big ideas about fixing Bella went up in smoke.

"Bells, why are you being like this?" He asked her straight out.

Bella blinked a few times rapidly as if trying to wake herself up. "It hurts..." was all she said.

"What hurts?" He enquired gently.

"It doesn't matter...let's go back inside." She stood up unsteadily on her feet and turned away from him. Jacob didn't stop her. He had no idea how to get through to this damaged girl. He watched her sadly as she walked slowly toward the entrance to the garage; she shuffled along like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. One of her boots caught onto the side of a box that was sticking out slightly, she took a tumble and hit the floor hard.

Jacob was by her side in an instant. He picked her up and he cradled her in his arms. Her whole body was shaking. He wasn't sure what to say so he just held her while her tears soaked his best shirt. "It hurts all the time..." she kept mumbling over and over.

As he held her Jacob saw something leaking out of the box she had tripped over, it puddled on the floor, creating a little pool. The smell of alcohol was unmistakable. It appeared that Bella had inadvertently discovered some old bottles of wine that had been stored in the garage since forever.

"I think you must have broken a bottle Bells..." he said lamely. Bella raised her head and stared up at him.

"Bottle?" she whispered hoarsely.

"Yes, that box had wine bottles in it. I just need to clear it up and then we can go back into the house." He released her gently and strolled over to the box. He tugged it out and pulled the flaps open. Inside were six bottles of red wine. They had been a present to his dad a few years ago, but Billy never drank the stuff so he had dumped the box in the garage.

Jacob was surprised when he felt movement beside him; Bella had joined him and for the first time since he had first seen her she seemed more alert. "I want some..." she muttered reaching for an unopened bottle.

"Bells, no..."Jacob began to protest.

A wild light flashed briefly from Bella's eyes. "I am sick of being told no..." she said loudly. Reaching for a bottle she began to struggle with the cork. "Damn...Why won't it come out?"

Jacob felt bewildered; on one hand he knew it was wrong to let Bella drink the wine but on the other he had never seen her so animated. He made a spur of the moment decision. "Give it here..." he snatched the bottle from her and began to squeeze the neck of the bottle, after a few tense seconds the cork popped out hitting the sides of the metal garage with a clang.

Bella stared at Jacob with a stupefied expression. "How did you do that?"

"An old Quileute magic trick..." he declared.

A smile appeared on Bella's pale face, it lit up her whole expression. Jacob was mesmerized by it. He handed her the bottle unthinkingly. "Merry Christmas..."

"Merry Christmas..." Bella acknowledged as she lifted the bottle to her lips. The cool liquid burned her throat, in a good way. She smacked her lips together and savoured the taste. She took another long swig and sighed in contentment. Turning back to face Jacob she held out the bottle. "Want some?"

Jacob knew he was going to get in a lot of trouble for this but seeing the light shining from Bella's eyes was worth all the shit her would have to deal with. He took the bottle from her and tipped his head back as he drank it. "That was cool..." he declared as he gave her a happy grin. "Your turn..."

Bella took the bottle from him and drank deeply. Her head was already feeling pleasantly fuzzy; she had not had anything to eat, unlike Jacob who had a large breakfast. "I like you...you smile a lot." she mumbled as she began to drink more.

"Well I like you too..." Jacob responded as he repeated his magic Quileute trick and opened another bottle.

XXXXXX

An hour later and they were both lying on their backs staring up at the ceiling. Two empty bottles lay discarded beside them; the third was on its way to being empty. Bella couldn't stop giggling, everything Jacob said she found extremely funny. Her whole body felt totally relaxed and at ease. She turned her head to look at him. He was wearing the biggest grin she had ever seen; it really accentuated his handsome face. Some of his long black hair had escaped the rubber band he used to tie it back. She reached out and smoothed the static strands back from his face.

"What are you doin?" he asked her as she continued to smooth his hair away from his face.

"Dunno, just tidying you up..." she began to laugh again and he joined her. She fell against him and ended up resting her head on his chest.

"Are you feeling better Bells?" he asked her. Her ear was pressed to his chest so that she could count the rapid beats of his heart.

"Yep...I definitely feel better. Edward Cullen can go to hell..." she announced.

Jacob smiled lazily. "Creepy Cullen..." he sang in an off key voice.

Bella giggled again. "Hey that sorta rhymes...creepy Cullen sitting in a tree, lookin in my window to see what he could see..." she burst out into song.

Jacob's laughter rumbled through his chest. "Oh my god that would be creepy if he had really done that..."

Silence...

"Bells..." he rolled onto his side so he could get a better look at her. "Are you alright?"

Bella's whole demeanour had changed, she now appeared sad as she gazed back at him. "He did you know. He used to climb in and sit in the old rocking chair to watch me sleep..."

"Ugh...you know what honey. If he did that then he did you a favour by leaving..." Jacob replied. He placed a warm hand on her cheek and stroked it softly.

Bella reached up and placed her hand over his. "Thank you. I had fun..."

"The day isn't over yet..." Jacob raised his eyebrows at her and suddenly stood, hauling her to her feet. Bella's head began to swim. The effects of too much wine were now taking their toll.

"Where are we goin now?" she slurred, her vision swimming.

"I got something else to show you..." he caught hold of her hand and tugged her along behind him.

Bella allowed him to lead her out of the garage and toward his house, for some reason he circumnavigated the front door and went around the back. "This is the window to my room..." he said in a loud whisper.

Bella just gave him a wide smile; she swayed on her feet while he yanked open the window. "Ladies first..." he prompted.

Bella gazed around looking for the ladies but couldn't see any. Jacob laughed at her confusion. "I mean you..."

"Oh..." Bella laughed along with him before placing her hands on the sill and tying to climb in. She swung one leg up and got all tangled up. Jacob rolled his eyes and placed his hands on her ass and shoved her in. She landed on his bed which was placed just under the window. She continued to laugh to herself, picturing her ungraceful landing in her head.

Jacob soon joined her; he did not seem to have lost his equilibrium like she had. He crawled over her and landed on his feet on the other side of the bed. Bella watched him as he pulled open the doors to his small wardrobe and rummaged around inside.

"Whatcha lookin for Jake?" she asked him happily. She had never felt so relaxed in her life. Her pain from losing Edward felt like a distant memory. Instead she focused her eyes on Jacob's cute butt as he continued to search through his wardrobe.

"It's something I always imagined doing..." his voice was muffled as he literally pulled the entire contents of the wardrobe out and sorted through the mess.

Bella rolled onto her stomach and watched him in amusement. He was quite well built for someone of his age. He had taken his hoodie off and was now just wearing a black t-shirt, her eyes zeroed in on the play of his muscles as they rippled under his tan skin. He glanced back at her occasionally and she grinned back at him goofily, enjoying the the flash of his perfect white teeth as he smiled back at her.

"You're sort of beautiful..." she mused as she swung her legs in the air; she had her chin propped on her hands as she continued to look at him.

"You're drunk Bells..." Jacob said cheerfully as he finally found what he was looking for.

"Maybe so..." Bella declared. "But drunks tell the tooth...I mean truth." She nodded her head like a chicken.

Jacob just gave her another endearing grin. "Whatever you say, Bella Swan." He crawled onto the bed beside her and held up a green sprig of mistletoe.

Bella rolled onto her back and stared up at the green, leafy plant. "Where did you get that?" she asked breathlessly.

"It's another old Q..."

"Quileute magic trick...I get it..." Bella laughed softly.

Jacob laughed along with her. He raised one eyebrow, emboldened by the wine he had consumed. Any inhibitions either might have felt under different circumstances had fallen away. "So, we have drunk the wine I now believe you owe me a kiss..."

Bella regarded him carefully, a small smile playing about her lips. "Yes, I believe I do. Happy Christmas, Jake..." She leaned up and slipped her hand around his neck so that she could pull his head down to hers. For a brief few seconds their breaths mingled together before he closed the distance and pressed his mouth onto hers.

She had never been kissed like this, ever. The only lips she had ever had pressed to hers were cold and lifeless. It had been Edward's sweet scent that had not knocked her senseless, not his kissing ability as she let him think. Even though she was older than Jacob, she let him take the lead. He definitely seemed to know what he was doing as he coaxed her lips apart and intensified the kiss. He leaned on his elbows and cupped her face in his hands as he continued to move his mouth in tandem with hers. They only pulled apart when they ran out of air.

Jacob hovered over her as Bella tried to regain her breath; she stared up at him in wonder. "Wow...happy Christmas...Jake." she whispered.

Jacob grinned happily down at her. "Right back at you Bells." He leaned down to kiss her again when two drunken voices began to belt out jingle bells in the living room. They both collapsed with laughter as Charlie and Billy toasted each other in the other room.

FIN...

_**A/N-Thanks for reading! ;)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-Sorry meant to post this yesterday! Merry Christmas! **_

**Part Two**

Bella opened her eyes and winced as the light from Jacob's window shined directly into her eyes, her hand flew up to her pounding head and she rubbed at her temples, trying to massage the pain away. Her mouth felt like sandpaper and she moistened her lips with her tongue. It took her a while to fully come to and when she did, she nearly had a heart attack. As her eyes finally adjusted to the light she could finally see where she was and who was lying half dressed beside her. Jacob was fast asleep, his long lashes casting shadows across his high cheekbones. One arm was slung lazily across her waist and his legs were tangled with her own. She could feel his warm breath along the nape of her neck as he breathed in and out softly.

She squeezed her eyes shut again momentarily, trying to block everything out. When she dared to open them again she found that she was still lying supine in Jacob Black's bed. Bella's unbelieving eyes travelled down to the end of the bed and her face began to heat up as she realised it was not only Jacob who had removed his jeans for whatever reason. She was still wearing her shirt and panties but she had at some point taken off her jeans before falling asleep beside Jake. What the hell had happened yesterday? Her head throbbed again and she whimpered in pain. It was her first ever hangover and she hated the feeling of disorientation.

"Jake..." she muttered hoarsely. "Wake up..."

Jacob shifted about uncomfortably and a small groan behind her indicated that he was feeling as rough as she was. His arm lifted off of her waist as he rolled onto his back, disentangling his legs from hers. "Ugh...I feel like shit." he cursed.

Bella took the opportunity to slide off of the bed; she hit the floor with a thud and began to crawl around hunting for her lost jeans. She finally found them bundled up near the end of the bed, as she pulled them on, a wet feeling made goose pimples appear up her thighs.

"You spilt wine all over them, remember." Jacob's husky voice made her stare up at him. He was now sitting up in the bed, rubbing at his eyes. "And me as well."

Bella frowned as she continued to stare up at him; she could vaguely recall toasting him and then dropping the bottle, splashing the remaining contents over them both. They had been so inebriated that at the time it had seemed beyond hilarious. She had happily pulled off her jeans before crawling into Jake's bed; he had laughingly copied her before they had both promptly fallen asleep.

"Our dads?" she questioned him tentatively. "Mine will be..."

"Suffering the after effects of his own hangover,"Jacob interrupted her. "Chill Bells, our dad's were so drunk themselves they didn't realise we had consumed three bottles of wine."

Bella tried to remember what had happened the night before. Her face heated up as she recalled the kiss they had shared under the mistletoe. Vague memories of hearing her dad and Billy singing Christmas carols in off key voices sprang into her mind. She and Jacob had left his room, giggling like idiots as they joined their parents in the main room and began singing along with them. Had that really all happened?

Almost as if Jacob could read her mind he gave her a teasing grin. "Even though I feel like crap that was one of the best Christmases I have ever had. I haven't seen my dad let loose like that in ages and having you there..." he left the rest unsaid as he continued to grin at her.

Bella felt her own lips turning up into a smile. It felt like she had surfaced from a dream like state, she felt alive and everything seemed much more vibrant, the colours and sounds seemed louder as if she was actually hearing and seeing them for the first time, and, at the centre of this reawakening was her new best friend, Jacob Black. Her smile grew wider. "I had the best time too, thank you."

Jacob got up from the bed and joined her on the floor; he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. His warm lips sent pleasant shimmers through her skin. "Welcome back Bella Swan..." he said softly.

Bella let out a contented sigh. "It's good to be back..." she replied.

XXXXXX

Charlie and Billy sat at the kitchen table, heads pounding and a couple of black coffees in front of them.

"Never again..." Charlie moaned his head in his hands.

"I hear ya, Chief..." Billy agreed. He took a tentative sip of the hot coffee and grimaced. "That's vile."

Movement from the hallway made both men look in that direction. Jacob and Bella emerged from the darkness and stopped when they saw their dad's observing them. Bella's face was bright red, almost as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Charlie tried to focus both eyes on her at once, he was sure he should be noticing something, but his heavy head and fuzzy brain prevented him from connecting the dots. Instead he gave his daughter a cheesy grin, "Morning kiddo, want some coffee?"

The two teenagers nodded their heads enthusiastically. It was only Billy who heard the collective groan when they moved their heads. He flashed them a smug grin and hid his laughter as Bella flushed even redder and his son glared at him.

XXXXXX

There was no food left in the Black's pantry so it had been decided they would all head back to the Swan's house. Bella had offered to cook, the three males all brightened up considerably at this offer, she was an amazing cook and their mouth's watered in anticipation. Charlie declared he felt recovered enough to drive and so they all piled into the cruiser and headed back to Forks. Bella and Jacob were sitting in the back of the car, chatting easily; their hands had unconsciously become entwined as they gravitated toward each other. At one point during the drive to Forks Jacob had caught his dad smiling to himself as he saw his reflection in the wing mirror. The old man was losing it.

It was Charlie's uncustomary cussing that brought Jacob and Bella out of their little bubble. He put the brakes on making them jolt forward. Bella looked over at her dad in alarm. "What is it?" she questioned him.

"I will get rid of him Bella..." Charlie snapped open his seatbelt and began to get out of the cruiser.

"Who?" Bella asked again. She saw a fierce expression crossing Billy's face as she followed the direction of his gaze. The silver Volvo parked prominently in her driveway told her everything she needed to know.

XXXXXX

Jacob met his dad's gaze; Bella was pressed into his side, completely frozen. Her breathing was coming in short pants as she stared over at her dad and the pale faced boy who had risen from the steps where he had been sitting and was now speaking to Chief Swan in low tones.

"Jacob you need to get Charlie away from that boy..." Billy suddenly declared, a worried frown marring his forehead.

Jacob nodded; he gently disentangled himself from a trembling Bella. "It's okay, I will be back in a sec..." he promised as he opened the door of the car and slipped out. The bang of the door closing made Bella jump, her eyes met Billy's and she shivered.

"Don't go out there, Bella..."Billy warned her, his eyes trained on his son as he went to join Charlie. He could see the Chief's fists clench as he continued to speak to Cullen. Jacob was watching the two of them closely as he hovered by Charlie's side.

"Billy..." Bella cried out fearfully. "Jacob, my dad, they don't know what he is..."

Billy raised his eyebrows at her words; he had been expecting her to say something completely different."No they don't..." he said eventually. "I know what influence that Cullen creature has over you Bella. Stay inside the car please. He won't do anything in front of your father." He crossed his fingers where she couldn't see.

Much to Billy's surprise Bella did as he requested, the last time they had a brief conversation about Edward Cullen she had refused to listen to his warnings, he wondered what had brought about this change. His musings were cut short as he watched as Edward suddenly turned his head to glare at Jacob, his strange golden eyes narrowed as he observed him closely. Bella too saw Edward staring at Jacob intently; she had a better idea of what he was doing. Edward was reading Jacob's thoughts and he clearly did not like what he was hearing.

They both saw Edward say something to Jacob which caused the other boy to stalk forward and clench his fists. Charlie caught hold of Jacob's arm but he shook him off easily. Bella heard Billy gasp in shock as a tremor shook Jacob's body. "No not now..."

Billy began wrestling with the door handle of the cruiser, he cursed as it wouldn't open under his fumbling fingers. Bella turned her attention back to him; there was a desperate look on his face. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

"Billy..." she said uncertainly. "What's wrong?"

Billy glanced over at his son; Jacob's whole frame was shaking with suppressed anger. Being so near to Cullen was setting him off. He turned his desperate eyes onto Bella, she was his only hope. Even if he managed to open the damn door, he couldn't walk over to his son. "Bella, I cannot explain anything right now, please go get my son away from Cullen otherwise I cannot bear to think of the consequences if he gets any more angry. I didn't think he was anywhere near this stage yet."

Bella blinked rapidly, not understanding a word of what Billy was talking about, however the fear radiating from him pierced her bubble. She did not question him further as she shoved the door open and exited the vehicle.

XXXXXX

Bella walked over to her house and came face to face with her past. When Edward saw her he ignored Jacob and Charlie. "Bella..." he breathed, a familiar crooked smile adorning his handsome face.

As soon as she heard him speak, Bella stumbled. She had to keep her eyes trained to the floor, she knew that if she looked into those golden pools she would drown and she needed to remain focused, at least long enough to get Jacob and her dad away. Billy's worry had infected her like a virus. She sensed that Jacob was on the verge of doing something reckless and she was not prepared to have him put in any danger.

"Get away from her you son of a bitch..."Jacob yelled at Edward.

"Jake, calm down and let me deal with this..." Charlie was keeping his tone even, not wanting to inflame the tense situation any further. He was alarmed when his daughter suddenly got out of the car and began making her way over to them. _Not now_... he thought to himself. He reached out and grabbed hold of Jacob's arm, the boy was shaking from head to foot and his skin was on fire. Charlie let go at once, he felt like he had been burned.

"Bella love, please stay back," Edward's pleading voice made her glance up at him, his honeyed tones mesmerized her. She shook her head to clear it; she finally reached Jacob's side.

Her fingers wrapped around Jacob's hand and his shaking calmed down so that only a few tremors ran down his arms. Charlie stared at them all in confusion; something he didn't understand was going on here, he moved protectively closer to his daughter's side. He saw Cullen frown as he watched Bella closely; it seemed the very fact that she had not gone running over to him had him perplexed_. Good!_ Charlie thought smugly.

Bella raised her head and finally locked eyes with Edward. He focused his gaze on her intently and she shivered again as all her yearning for him washed over her. She dug her nails into Jacob's hand and his grip on hers tightened. His touch pulled her out of her funk and she remembered why she had got out of the car.

"Go away..." she whispered hoarsely, no strength in her voice.

Edward continued to gaze at her; she was drowning in the golden pools. "You don't mean that..." he said softly.

Bella dug her fingernails harder into the palm of Jacob's hand, she heard him hiss in pain but he just stayed stoically by her side almost as if he sensed that she needed to be the one to tell Cullen to leave. Charlie too stayed silent, watching everyone's interactions closely. He was dying to intervene but he knew that the best way for the Cullen boy to be banished from their lives was for Bella to tell him to go.

Bella took a few more deep breaths before standing up straighter and pressing her back against Jacob's comforting warmth. "I want you to leave, now." her voice was louder this time.

A crease appeared across Edward's smooth forehead, he just kept staring at Bella uncomprehendingly. Charlie had enough. He stepped forward and spoke in his most intimidating voice. "You heard my daughter. Get out of here before I have you arrested for trespassing." He roared.

Billy gave a sigh of relief as he watched Edward give one last look toward Bella and Jacob; he gave an insincere apology to Charlie before getting into his flashy car and driving away.

XXXXXX

Bella did not speak as she went mechanically about her task of making them all dinner. Jacob stayed quietly by her side, lending his silent support as he helped her prepare the meal, he did not press her on how she was feeling, He instinctively knew that she needed to process what had just happened. The sudden heat that had overwhelmed his body when confronted with Bella's ex had receded; he now felt more like himself. He put it down to the after effects of his hangover.

"Jake would you mind taking these out to your dad and mine?" Bella asked him as she handed him two mugs of warm coffee.

"Okay," he said easily, taking them from her shaking hands. "I'll be back in a sec."

Bella watched him go and resumed chopping up more vegetables. The sound of Billy's wheelchair rolling across the floorboards made her raise her head in surprise. She dropped the knife and turned to him expectantly. "Are you going to tell me what you meant earlier?"

Billy winced at her words. He motioned for her to sit down; he saw her throw a worried glance toward the living room. "Don't worry, your dad is chewing Jake's ear off about the Mariner's." He assured her.

Bella sat down and eyed him curiously as he joined her. "Thank you for what you did for Jake. That took courage confronting a cold one like that, especially one that meant so much to you."

She flinched at his reference to Edward. "Jake means a lot to me." she mumbled in reply.

"I know," he said gently. "I can see that. I want to tell you everything Bella, but tribal law stops me from revealing anything. Suffice to say that you prevented a tragedy today by standing by Jake's side and calming the situation down."

"Will I ever know?" She asked, her hands twisting together," and will Jake be okay when whatever it is, happens?"

Billy gazed at her through his wise dark eyes. He nodded swiftly. "Yes, the secret will be revealed to you one day. I am sure of that." he said with certainty.

"So many secrets..." Bella got up from the table. "Don't worry Billy; I am good at keeping things to myself."

"I know that," Billy admitted. "Jake really needs you Bella. I am glad you have found your way to each other."

Bella flashed him a rueful smile as Jacob re entered the kitchen. "What's going on?" He asked curiously.

"I was just telling Bella not to let you near the stove. Chopping veggies you can manage, cooking no way." Billy teased his son.

Jacob rolled his eyes at his dad. "As if you are any better..." he shot back at him.

Billy chuckled as he rolled his chair back toward the living room. As soon as they were alone Jacob turned to Bella and cupped her cheek gently in his palm. "Are you okay?"

Bella gave him a small smile. "I will be..." she assured him as she pulled her head away and resumed cutting up the veggies.

Jacob took the knife from her hand. "Let me do that, my dad's right chopping up stuff I can do, actual cooking, nooo..."

A genuine smile crossed Bella's face at his words. Standing on her tiptoes she kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Thanks."

Jacob gave her a cheery grin. "Anytime, Bells."

_**A/N-Merry Christmas...**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Part Three **

Billy waited for a quiet moment to talk to Bella before he and Jacob made a move to go home. He asked her to get him something from the kitchen and followed her in while Charlie and Jacob were distracted.

"I can't find your wallet, Billy. I don't think it's in here..." she said as she rummaged through the piles of fishing magazines on the table.

"Hush, Bella that was just a ruse..." he said quickly.

Bella stared at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Billy sighed. "I am worried Bella. Cullen is back in the area and I am certain he will be back after Jake and I have gone. You cannot let yourself be alone."

Light dawned in Bella's eyes as she took in the full meaning of Billy's warning, she bit her lip in trepidation. "I told him to stay away..." she said lamely.

"And you think he is going to listen to that?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"No...I don't see how I can prevent him coming over again. He has ways and means of getting into my house." She admitted shamefully, her head down. She felt embarrassed admitting this to Billy.

A warm hand engulfing hers made her raise her head. Billy gave her a sympathetic smile. "Listen I have...friends...who will look out for you tonight. I assure you he will not find his way into this house, okay, stay near you dad anyway though, alright."

"Do these _friends _have anything to do with what happened outside to Jake earlier?" She whispered.

Billy smiled mysteriously as he patted her hand. "I will see you tomorrow Bella, take care." Was all he said in reply. She watched him go; relieved that whoever he was referring to would be watching out for her tonight.

XXXXXX

Charlie gazed at his daughter as she dragged her duvet down into the living room and curled up on the sofa. "Bells, what are you doing?" He asked her curiously.

She gave him a sheepish smile. "Err...would it be alright if I stayed down here with you? I just feel a bit you know, after seeing Ed...Edward again." She stumbled over his name.

"Oh kiddo, I never thought. Of course, look I'll dig out some DVD's and we can make a night of it." He suggested gently.

Bella nodded as she snuggled deeper into her duvet. "Thanks dad," she said softly.

Charlie strolled over and ruffled her hair. "No problem, kiddo." He replied before leaving the room.

XXXXXX

Jacob opened the door to find Sam Uley on his doorstep. He eyed him warily. "What do you want?" He questioned him.

Sam showed no emotion as he felt the hostility coming off of Jacob in waves. "I need to speak with your dad." He said abruptly.

Jacob scowled at Sam irritably. "He is busy right now. I'll give him a message..."

The sound of the wheelchair rolling across the floorboards made both of them turn to look toward Billy who was making his way to the door. "It's alright Jake, leave this with me. Go back inside the house."

Jacob folded his arms and stayed mutinously in place. "No, I want to hear this."

"Do as I say son." Billy glared at him. "This is tribal business and none of your concern."

"I will be the chief one day so it is my concern. You can't keep shutting me out, I am not a child."

Sam remained mute as he watched the interaction between father and son. Billy gave out a resigned sigh. "Stop acting like one then. I said go..."

Jacob gave his dad one last annoyed glance before pushing past Sam and racing over to the garage. The sound of clanging metal made Billy jump. It seemed Jacob was venting his frustration on the first inanimate object he could lay his hands on. Sam regarded Billy coolly.

"Jake has a point. It's not fair that you keep him in the dark. He should be warned what he is. You should have warned us all." He muttered, a bitter note creeping into his voice.

Billy glanced up at Sam and winced. "You know my hands were tied, tribal law dictates..."

Sam shook his head. "Do not preach to me about tribal law..." he stopped himself before he said anything further. " I have come here to give you my report."

Billy motioned for Sam to come inside; he gave one last regretful glance toward the garage before closing the door behind him.

XXXXXX

Sam refused the offer of a seat and remained standing, his arms crossed as he resumed his stoical demeanour. "I kept watch for most of the night. Cullen prowled around observing me. I managed to keep my thoughts hidden as you instructed. He did not attempt to bypass me; I think he was trying to assess my weaknesses."

Billy nodded; he ran a hand over his face. "It seems he will not give up. You will need to maintain a watch over the Swan house while they are inside." he stated bluntly.

"That is impossible. I do not have the resources to keep watch over the leech lover. My pack and I are run ragged as it is chasing after the red head." He shot back at Billy.

"Do not call my friend's daughter a leech lover. That girl stood up to him last night, it is our duty to look out for her, Sam." Billy replied his voice softening.

Sam dropped his indifferent mask and knelt down beside Billy. "I understand and I am sorry for calling the girl names, but you have to realise that I cannot be everywhere at once, my priority is our tribe's safety."

"I know," Billy admitted."I am sorry to burden you with more."

"Embry will be joining us soon and then your son, it will make our task that much easier." Sam said rising back to his feet. "More numbers will make things a lot simpler. However I will do my best to cover the Swan house in our nightly patrols. I can promise no more than that. "

Billy gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Sam just nodded before swiftly leaving the house.

XXXXXX

Charlie was surprised to see Billy and Jacob on his doorstep the next evening. "I didn't know you were coming," he looked baffled.

Billy just laughed. "I brought beer."

The confused look left Charlie's face as he opened the door wider."Oh well you better come in then."

Jacob rolled his eyes at the two men's antics; he pushed his father's wheelchair into the house his eyes already searching for Bella. Charlie caught his look. "She's in the kitchen." he said with a laugh.

Jacob saluted Charlie before literally running into the kitchen, he skidded to a halt as he saw Bella adding the last finishing touches to a large chocolate sponge cake. His stomach rumbled as he smelt the enticing aroma of melted chocolate. "Hey Bells, is that for me?" he asked eagerly.

Bella looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. "Yeah, well for you and your dad actually, to say thanks for yesterday. Don't worry I used diabetic chocolate."

A big grin crossed Jacob's face; he strolled over to her and picked her up in a tight bear hug, squeezing the air from her lungs. He heard her protests and put her down quickly. "Thanks, Bells."

Bella felt dizzy as she tried to regain her composure. "No problem. Do you want a taste?"

Jacob gave her a swift nod before reaching out and pulling away a hefty chunk of the cake. He chuckled as Bella gave him a dark look. His taste buds were on fire as he chewed on the delectable confectionary. "Honey, this is just awesome..." he said with his mouth full.

Bella had to smile at the contented look on his face. He had managed to smear chocolate all around his mouth, she took a napkin and reached up to wipe away the last remnants as he swallowed the last piece. Their eyes locked as she finished cleaning him off. He caught her hand before she pulled it away and he gave her a happy grin. "Thanks..."

Bella felt her face heat up for no reason. She yanked her hand away and went back to the cake, fiddling nervously with the remaining piece. "Do you think your dad would want a piece now or shall I wrap it up for you to take home later?" She asked quietly.

Jacob could sense her uneasiness; he approached her cautiously and caught hold of her hand again making her look up at him. "Its okay, Bells. I know that you are probably still embarrassed about our drunken kiss but we're friends right. We were under the mistletoe..."

Bella gave him a wan smile. "Yeah...tradition, right?"

"Yep, although the next time you kiss me there doesn't have to be a green leafy plant hovering over our heads..." he teased.

The tension in the air diffused as Bella swatted him on the chest with her hand. "Who said I would be the one to kiss you?" She questioned as she began wrapping up the cake.

Jacob gave her a playful wink as she let out an exasperated sigh.

XXXXXX

They retreated out to the back porch and sat on the old bench seat that Charlie had purchased ages ago. The wood was worn, all the varnish having been eroded long ago. It was a clear night and Jacob was pointing out all the stars that he knew the names of. Bella was very impressed. "Wow, Jake, how do you know so much? Did your dad teach you?"

A sad expression crossed Jake's face at her question. "No, my mom actually, it was a hobby of hers. She used to tell me stories about the man who lived in the moon and his friends who shared the sky with him. That's how I learnt all the names of the stars, she told such beautiful stories." His voice sounded choked as he recalled happy memories.

Bella gazed at him, sympathy shining in her brown eyes. She shifted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "That's beautiful, Jake. I remember your mom, she was a wonderful person."

Jacob felt traitorous tears welling up in his eyes. "Thanks, Bells." He said huskily.

"Tell me one of the stories, Jake." Bella asked him gently.

Jacob slipped his arm around her waist as they both gazed up at the full moon. "Do you really want to hear them?"

"Yes, you are a wonderful storyteller. I recall you scaring me half to death with your stories about the cold ones and the spirit wolves..." the smile dropped from her lips as a sudden epiphany hit her full force.

Jacob glanced down at her curiously as he heard the change in her voice. "Are you alright, Bella?" He asked in concern, her face looked paler than normal.

"Err...yes, sorry. Go on Jake tell me a story..."She said hastily, trying to regain her composure.

"Okay..." he said uncertainly. Bella settled closer to his side as he regaled her with one of his mom's made up stories. As he spoke her head was filled with images of large wolves running through the night.

_**A/N-Thanks for reading! Nikki **_


	4. Chapter 4

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Part Four **

The next morning Bella had to run some errands, she drove her old Chevy truck into the main town and parked outside the little convenience store that served all of Forks. She was utterly exhausted; after Billy and Jacob had left she had spent a restless night dreaming about the wolves. Jacob's voice floated in the background retelling the legends as she watched the story play out in her mind. She knew her epiphany of the night before had been true; Billy's _friends_ were the spirit wolves that featured in the old tribal legends. She had no doubts about that. How could she after running with vampires. Her main fear was the fact that it seemed that her Jacob could be one of them in the near future.

She rested her head on the cool steering wheel of the truck, trying to regain her composure. Fear and worry for her best friend overrode any sense of her own wellbeing. She debated about what to do, it was obvious that Jake had no clue what was coming his way, for some reason the tribe deemed it appropriate to keep the Chief's son in the dark. Bella knew how she had hated being kept out of the loop during her relationship with Edward and his family. Wasn't it her responsibility to tell Jake, even if it went against his father's wishes? She already knew that Billy would plead with her to keep the secret.

There was also the other possibility that Jake would reject her, even if he did believe her bizarre story. Once he found out that she had a relationship with his natural born enemy he might be so disgusted that he would want nothing more to do with her. She felt her face becoming wet as tears began to slide out of her eyes; she had been so at peace the last few days. In fact it had probably been one of her best Christmases ever. Jacob had managed to pierce her melancholy and make her feel alive again.

Bella was so caught up in her own unhappiness that she was unaware that someone was standing outside her truck, peering in through the window. Her heart stopped when the door was yanked open and a pair of cold arms engulfed her into a gentle embrace.

"Oh my poor Bella," Edward's smooth voice crooned as he stroked her hair away from her face. "It's okay I am here."

Bella's eyes widened as she stiffened in his arms, the cloying aroma of his sweet scent was making her head feel fuzzy. As always when he held her she became pliant in his arms, overwhelmed by the coldness and his drug like scent that she was forced to inhale.

"What are you doing here?" She finally managed to choke out. She deliberately held her breath and pushed on his chest until he released her slightly.

Edward appeared confused; she drank in the sight she had been missing for months since he abandoned her. He looked exactly the same, pale skin, golden eyes with dark circles underscoring them and his hair immaculately styled. It was his clothes that were the only different thing about him; they appeared rumpled as if he had not changed for a couple of days.

"I am sorry Bella; I have had trouble evading certain people. I have been trying my best to get to see and talk to you." He whispered gently.

Bella slipped further away from him and regarded him with a detached expression. Holding her breath had cleared her head of his sweet scent and she felt more in control. She released a heavy sigh. Before she could reply a loud voice yelled out for Edward to step away from her. She saw an irritated expression cross his face before he turned and faced their visitor.

"This is none of your business, Master Uley." He said coldly.

Bella watched in open eyed wonder as Sam Uley, the man who had been the one to find her in the woods the day Edward had abandoned her strolled casually over to them. Sam was wearing nothing but a pair of cut off shorts and no shoes. Seeing his attire gave credence to Bella's suspicions that he was one of the sprit wolves. He crossed his arms as he regarded Edward coolly. "It is very much my business, Cullen. Bella is under my protection as you very well know."

A familiar look passed over Edward's face, she could tell he was trying to read Sam's mind and coming up blank. He must have some ability to block Edward. She found herself smiling at Sam, glad that she had some affinity with him. She jumped down out of her truck and slipped past Edward, standing by Sam's side. Her move seemed to surprise him too as he gazed down at her curiously before giving her a quick grin. However when he turned his attention back to Edward he was once again all seriousness.

"As you can see, Bella has no interest in having a little chat with you. So before you make a scene I suggest you leave." He stated bluntly.

Edward seemed completely nonplussed. He had not been expecting this at all. He stared over at Bella in confusion. Passersby were now beginning to take notice of the standoff between the tall, muscle bound Quileute and Edward Cullen. He knew that there was nothing more he could do here.

"I will not be far away, Bella love." Edward finally said before walking quickly away from the scene.

Bella watched him go, releasing her breath that she hadn't realised she had been holding. A warm hand touched her back briefly. "Get back in the truck and I will drive you to La Push." Sam murmured as he guided her toward the Chevy.

XXXXXX

Bella stared straight ahead, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Sam kept glancing across at her waiting for her to say something but she remained mute.

"That was a stupid thing you did going off on your own like that..." he scolded her eventually.

She just nodded. "I know, I didn't think..."

"Well try in future, you were lucky I was around."

Bella finally raised her head to look at him. "I thought you were only keeping watch during the night..." she ventured to ask.

"I was on my way to see my girlfriend. I passed your place and saw your truck was missing so I thought I would follow and see where you had gone, just in case." He confessed.

"Thank you." Bella regarded him carefully; he had resumed his normal stoical expression. "Will she be annoyed?"

"Who?"

"Your girlfriend?"

A small smile passed over his full lips, lighting up his whole face. "Yeah, Leah will be pissed that I am late."

"Does she know?" Bella dared to ask.

Sam glared across at her. "Know what?"

Bella flinched at his harsh tone but pressed on anyway. If anyone could help her with her dilemma over whether to tell Jacob, Sam Uley would be it.

"That you are a wolf..." she said aloud.

Sam's hold on the steering wheel tightened. Bella thought at one point it was going to snap. "How do you know about that?"

"I just fitted all the pieces of the puzzle together, that's all and your reaction has just confirmed it. So does Leah know?" She asked again.

Sam turned and regarded her carefully. "You are definitely trouble." He turned back to stare out the windshield. "No, she doesn't know. I am forbidden to tell her."

Bella sighed. "Were you kept in the dark too when it happened to you?"

"Yes..." Sam admitted bitterly. "We all were."

"Would you rather have been told?"

Sam shook his head as if trying to clear it. "I can't believe that I am having this conversation with you." He muttered. "But yes, I wish I had been told."

They pulled into the Black's driveway and Bella opened the passenger side and went to slip out until Sam caught her arm. "If you want to know whether you should tell Jacob, then do it. You are not Quileute so are not bound by my laws. I can guarantee he will hate you if he finds out you lied to him."

Bella flinched but gave him another nod before stumbling toward the house. Sam watched her go, a sad light shining in his dark eyes.

XXXXXX

Jacob was shocked but ecstatic at Bella's surprise visit. He pulled her into a tight bear hug and swung her round. He waited for her usual pleas to be put down so she could breathe, but she said nothing, he stared at her uncertainly. "Can't keep away, huh? Must be my intoxicating kisses..." he said lamely.

Bella refused to look up at him, her arm was slung across her waist and she seemed to be having difficulty holding herself together. Jacob sighed and slipped his arm over her shoulder, guiding her into his house. He pulled her down beside him on the couch. She immediately curled up into his side, burying her head in his chest. He was alarmed to feel tears soaking his shirt.

"Bells, what's wrong?" He asked her, trying to get her to look up at him.

Bella kept her head pressed to his chest. "Is your dad here?" Her voice came out muffled.

"No, he is at another meeting with the tribal elders. I tell you Bells he is hiding something from me and I plan to find out what. He has been so cagey lately." He admitted, anger lacing his voice.

Bella began to sob harder. "I am so sorry Jake, please don't hate me..." she mumbled.

Jacob frowned. "Hate you? Honey, you are making no sense." The use of his endearment for her made her heart beat even faster. She fisted a hand in his shirt and held on tight.

"I refuse to keep anything from you Jake. It's not fair. What I am about to tell you will sound weird and unbelievable but you have to listen carefully. Your dad knows and it concerns your future." She revealed in a rush. "Even if you hate me afterwards I cannot keep this from you."

Jacob was getting frustrated with her cryptic statements. He tugged on her hand and made her look up at him. "Bells, whatever it is I promise you I could never hate you, that would be impossible. So don't worry, just tell me."

She began to shake again as he embraced her gently. Taking deep breaths Bella finally admitted the truth to him. "Edward Cullen and his family are vampires. They are the cold ones that feature in your tribal legends. Sam Uley and some others are the spirit wolves who protect your lands from the cold ones, just like your legends state. One day soon you will be one too and your dad knows all about it." She blurted out in a rush, closing her eyes in trepidation waiting out his reaction.

_**A/N-Thanks for reading! **_


	5. Chapter 5

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-I have just read an amazing new story called The Ghosts of Christmas Future by Scifiromance. It is only one chapter in and I am already hooked. It is a Jacob/Bella story where Bella is given a glimpse of her future as a Cullen when her doubts about her rapidly approaching new life return to haunt her. I honestly can't recommend this story enough. Please check it out, it is amazing! **_

_**Nikki :)**_

**Part Five**

Bella opened her eyes and stared up at Jacob fearfully when he did not say anything. He seemed frozen as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water over him and rendered him mute.

"Jake..."she said cautiously. "Did you hear what I just said?"

Jacob came out of his stupor and nodded. "Yeah, I heard you." he replied quietly.

"Do...do you believe me? I mean I know it sounds fantastical, but it is all true I swear..." she whispered. "I couldn't live with myself with you not knowing, especially when I found out about the wolves."

She saw Jacob swallow as he continued to avoid her gaze. Her heart leapt up into her mouth. What she had feared all along had come to pass. Jacob was disgusted with her. She hung her head and moved away from him slightly. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled, beginning to rise from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Jacob finally spoke as he caught hold of her arm.

Bella raised her head. "I know you hate me, I completely understand. I mean what normal girl would have a relationship with a vampire of all things. Your dad warned me to stay away from Edward and his family, he told me they would cause me nothing but grief and he was right. I nearly lost my life because I was with him and still I clung onto him, even though he told me often enough that he was a danger to me." A hysterical laugh slipped past her lips as she thought back on her younger self.

"That was why my dad sent me to your prom to warn you away from Cullen..." Jacob's voice was steely as he spoke.

"Yes..." Bella admitted softly.

"He hurt you, didn't he? Cullen caused your injuries?" The hand holding Bella's arm began to shake.

Bella became alarmed at the wild look in Jacob's eyes. His pupils had dilated and his grip on her arm was becoming painful. "Jake, please you need to calm down," she begged him. "You're hurting me."

Jacob let go of her arm at once and he took deep breaths to try and regain his composure. "Sorry, it's just the thought of what that monster did to you and my dad keeping all this from me..."

"It wasn't Edward who caused my injuries directly. While we were out in the wilderness playing a game of baseball..."

"Vampires play baseball?" Jacob snorted disbelievingly.

Bella gave him a wry smile. "Actually yes, it is an activity the whole family could enjoy. Anyway we were confronted by a group of three nomadic vampires; one of them was a tracker, which meant he loved the thrill of the chase. Edward and his family did their best to protect me but unfortunately the tracker, who called himself James, duped me into thinking he had my mom hostage. I went alone to offer myself in her stead but it turns out it was a ruse. He attacked me and..." a sob tore from Bella's throat at this point, making Jacob pull her gently back into his arms. She buried her head into his chest. "He broke my leg and then bit me. Edward arrived just in time to suck out the venom."

Jacob held onto Bella tightly as she began to shake, he recalled the time he had visited her at her prom. Cullen had been reluctant to leave them alone but Bella had insisted she was fine. He rubbed one of her arms comfortingly until he came to her wrist, as he ran a thumb over that area he was surprised to feel that it was colder than the rest of her skin. He turned her wrist over and examined the skin, a red bite mark stood out in stark relief to the rest of her pale skin. Jacob felt Bella shudder as he continued to look at the mark.

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled. "So... sorry."

"Hush, none of this is your fault, Bella. It is all Cullen's doing. When I get my hands on him..." he threatened. "Why the hell did they not kill the nomads if there were only three of them? Was the whole family there?"

Bella nodded against his chest. Jacob frowned. "There are seven Cullen's right?"

"Yes..." Bella whispered.

"Then why if they knew this _tracker _was such a threat did they not dispose of them all straight away. Three against seven sounds easy odds to me." Jacob felt his anger consuming him again. His breathing became erratic as he tried to dampen down his ire.

"I don't know, everything happened so fast that night. To be honest a lot of it is a blur to me now." she confessed.

"You say that my father knew all about this and that Sam Uley and his cult are actually the ones out there protecting our lands." Jacob decided to change tack as he could sense how distressed Bella was becoming, she was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Yes, it was Sam who drove me here today. I stupidly went out alone in my truck and Edward found me. Sam turned up and made him leave. When I guessed last night about the wolves I knew that I had to tell you. One thing I always hated was being kept in the dark by Edward and his family. I talked it over with Sam and he said that he would have preferred to have been told. It was like he was giving me permission to do what he couldn't because of your tribal law. I am not bound by the rules like he and your father are." Bella laid her head over Jacob's heart; the loud sound of its beat comforted her. Her breathing slowed down.

"So I will soon become one of the so called protectors..." he said quietly, his eyes far away.

"Yes, it seems so. That day you faced Edward at my house, your dad panicked that you were on the verge then. The anger and the sudden rise in temperature are indicators I think."

"I felt it that day," Jacob admitted. "Exactly as you just described it, I felt like I wanted to crawl out of my skin. I have never felt such anger in my life. I could have happily ripped Cullen's head off. It was only your touch that calmed me down."

Bella sat up and gazed at him sadly. "Do you hate me, Jake? I can understand if you do..."

Jacob shook his head fiercely. "Get that thought out of your head, it took a lot of courage for you to tell me today. You know how much I care about you..." he pulled her back into his warm embrace and rocked her gently as she began to cry with relief. "It will be alright Bella, I promise."

XXXXXX

Bella eventually succumbed to her exhaustion and fell asleep in Jacob's arms. Lack of sleep and worry had taken its toll on her, he gazed down at her a loving expression on his face as he dared to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "I love you, Bells." he whispered. She continued to sleep, making no sign that she had heard his confession.

He sat holding Bella in his arms as the minutes ticked by. It gave him time to mull over their conversation. So much did not add up about the Cullen's actions and the very fact that his father knew all along what they were and what it meant for his future still riled him. No matter what laws Billy was bound by, he was his son and should trump any ancient rules. The more he thought about it, the more his anger increased. He felt his face heat up and once again he had to force himself to dampen down his emotions. Very carefully so as not to disturb her, Jacob lifted Bella up and carried her into his room. He laid her on his bed and pulled the duvet over her. She let out a small whimper and rolled around as if searching for his warmth. Jacob found an old shirt of his discarded on the floor; some innate instinct told him to let her have it. As soon as Bella took the shirt in her hands she breathed in the scent and became still again, a contented smile on her face.

"I'll be back soon..." Jacob promised as he slipped out of his room and closed the door gently.

XXXXXX

Billy was startled to see Jacob sitting outside waiting for him. One of Old Quil's son's, Noah, helped him out of the truck and into his wheelchair. He thanked him and watched as he gave a quick wave over to Jacob and then got back into his truck and left. The meeting had been a long and tiring one, Billy had a heated argument with the other elders of the tribe, trying to get them to relax the old rules about secrecy. He wanted to be able to warn his son what was coming, but he was accused of self interest and reminded that the laws were in place for a reason. Sentiment could not be allowed to impinge on the tribe's safety. Old Quil had called the meeting to a close as they had been all going around in circles; nothing was getting achieved as old rivalries began to come to the fore.

"Hey Jake," Billy greeted his son wearily as he rolled his chair toward him.

Jacob did not say anything back to him; he just continued sitting, regarding him thoughtfully.

"Jake, is everything alright?" Billy asked in concern as he drew nearer.

Jacob stood up as his father approached and glared down at him. It was at times like these that Billy realised how tall his son now was. He was over six and a half feet tall and he had packed on some serious muscle, all indicators that it would not be long before he phased. A resigned sigh escaped his mouth at the thought.

"How do you live with yourself?" Jacob demanded. His voice brought Billy out of his reverie.

"Live with myself? What do you mean?" Billy felt confused.

"You sit there and preach to me about the tribe and tradition, but you can't even bring yourself to tell me exactly what is in store for me." Jacob said bitterly. "I am your son, you should have told me."

Billy gripped the armrests of his chair. "I don't know..."

"Yes you do, I know all about it, dad." he said sarcastically. "I know what Sam and the others are and I know about the Cullen's."

Billy flinched, he watched as Jacob's whole frame began to shake as his anger increased. "I am sorry, Jake. I wanted to tell you but..."

"Not good enough. You placed the tribe's old rules over your responsibility as a parent. You're my dad and I should have been able to trust you." He shot back at him.

"Jake please, you need to calm down; I think you are near the edge now and..."

Jacob closed his eyes as he tried to stop the heat from consuming him. The longer he had waited to confront his dad the more his bitterness and anger had increased. The thought of the danger that Bella had been in and the fact that his father knew all about it made it seem so much worse in his eyes. He clenched his fists as his father continued to try and justify his actions. His eyes whipped open and Billy gasped as he saw his pupil's dilating.

"Jake...son...I am so sorry..." he said again.

Jacob knew he needed to get out of there; he ignored his father and began to run away, he stumbled and hit the ground before finding his feet and sprinting away again. He felt like his skin was crawling and the heat was making him dizzy. He cried out in pain but it came out more like a howl as blackness consumed his vision and his whole world turned upside down.

XXXXXX

Bella shot up in Jacob's bed as soon as she heard the desperate howl. His shirt was still clutched tightly in her hands and she unconsciously slipped it on before scrambling out of the bed and heading outside. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the scene in front of her. Billy was sitting in his wheelchair, his face registering both his distress and surprise at what was right in front of him. His eyes were riveted on a large russet coloured wolf, almost the size of a horse standing on shaking legs not too far from him. The long fur glimmered in the weak light as the wolf kept up a constant whining. Its large dark eyes turned onto Bella when she made her unexpected appearance and it let out a sad whimper.

Bella recognised the eyes at once. They were her Jacob's eyes, it had happened. She began to move toward the wolf, talking in gentle tones. Billy called out for her to keep her distance but she ignored him. The wolf stood still, its ears perked forward as it listened to her soothing voice. Tense seconds ticked by as she finally reached the wolf's side. Reaching out she tentatively touched the wolf's flank, stroking the extraordinarily long fur gently.

"Its okay, Jake." She whispered. "We are gonna be fine."

The wolf trembled under her touch and it lowered its head, resting its muzzle onto her shoulder. Bella's arms wound around its neck as she hugged it close.

_**A/N-Thanks for reading! Nikki **_


	6. Chapter 6

**Mistletoe and Wine **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-Hiya everyone, happy New Year to you all! Thanks for all the lovely reviews you all left on the last chapter, I really appreciate it. Sorry I have not replied personally this time, I have been struck down by the flu and have been in bed the last two days, sighs! :( Anyway I have managed to type up a short chapter as a thank you for all your support! **_

_**Nikki **_

**Part Six**

Movement from the surrounding forest made the russet wolf lift his head and stare intently into the trees. There was suddenly a multitude of voices ringing in his head and the sudden intrusion made him jumpy. Bella watched Jacob warily as he whimpered and kept staring over toward the trees. She was careful to step back from him in case he made an unintentional move. After all he was still getting used to his wolf body.

"Jake...do not be afraid. We are your brothers..." Sam's voice resonated clearly in his mind.

"How come I can hear you in my head?" He thought instinctively.

"It is the way we communicate with each other..." Sam informed him.

"We can hardly speak can we dude..."Paul Lahote's tone was sarcastic even in thought mode.

"Back off Lahote..." Sam ordered. Paul made another sarcastic comment which caused Sam to order him to remain silent.

"Are you in charge?" Jacob questioned, relieved to be free of Paul's sniping.

"Yes, I am your Alpha. I can tell by your thoughts that Bella told you about us and of course the Cullen's."

"Yes...I can't believe I was kept in the dark that we all were." Jacob felt his anger rising again.

"You have to remain focused; if you let your anger get the better of you then you could unintentionally hurt someone. I can see through your mind that Bella and your dad are with you. I need you to come join us for the moment. Until you have better control over yourself its best you keep your distance." Sam advised.

"I would never hurt them." Jacob shot back indignantly.

"Not intentionally no, but you have been through a traumatic experience. It is best to spend time with others who can help you understand your new body better and how to control the transition from wolf to man. Come Jacob." There was an undercurrent of steel behind Sam's last words and Jacob had guessed that his new Alpha had issued a command that he could not ignore. He turned to glance back at Bella and his dad, she was staring at him keenly and when he began walking off toward the trees she raised her hand. She seemed to understand that he needed to leave for the time being.

Bella watched her wolf enter the darkness and she let out a resigned sigh, there was no telling how long it would be before she was able to see him again. She spun around only to face a distraught Billy; he was slumped in his chair his eyes fixated in the direction his son had taken.

"Billy, are you alright?" She asked him tentatively, wondering how angry he was gong to be with her for telling his son the truth about what he was.

"He hates me..." Billy said hoarsely. "I let him down in the worst way. I failed him."

Bella was alarmed by the defeatist tone to his voice; she knelt down in front of him and took one of his trembling hands in her own. "He is very confused right now, Billy. But I swear to you he does not hate you..."

Billy drew in a deep breath. "How do you know?"

Bella gave him a small smile. "Because I can hear him..." she said simply as if it was the most normal statement in the world.

XXXXXX

Bella poured Billy a mug of coffee and made one for herself. He had seemed dazed by her last revelation and Bella began to worry that the day's events had become too much for him. She had pushed his chair into the house and quickly made up a snack and a drink. She sat opposite him at the table, cradling the hot mug of coffee. The warmth reminded her of Jacob and it soothed her frazzled nerves.

Billy took a big gulp and then turned his attention onto her. "Can you really hear him? Right now?"

Bella nodded her head. "Yes, Sam is showing him the ropes. I mean he is trying to get him to stay calm so that he can phase back. I am afraid he is getting a little frustrated. Paul keeps winding him up and Jake is getting really pissed off." Her cheeks flushed red as she left out the bad language that Jacob was using to vent his irritation.

Billy seemed to guess what the reason was behind her red face and he smiled for the first time since his confrontation with Jacob. "I bet he is using very colourful language. Paul is not the easiest person to get along with." He admitted.

"So it seems..." Bella returned his smile. She took a quick sip of her coffee.

"Are you okay with this Bella; you seem very calm about the situation. I mean to suddenly having Jacob phase and then his voice in your head..." he trailed off observing her closely.

"I am not denying it is weird, all of it. But it's Jake and...I don't know, I just feel different, calmer. It doesn't faze me." Bella replied softly. "But how has this happened, Billy. I mean why can I hear him?"

Billy stiffened as his fingers clenched around his mug of coffee. "I don't want to lie or keep things from you Bella. Unfortunately you know the situation I am in, I am the Chief of this tribe but I still have to answer to the tribal council. They are very set in their ways regarding tradition and keeping the tribe's secrets from what they term 'outsiders.' What has happened between you and Jacob has turned everything on its head. I really need to discuss this with them and make them open their eyes a little more. Will you trust me to reveal more when I have gained their backing?" He pleaded with her.

Bella bit her lip in agitation. "It's not me you will have to convince..."

"Huh?" Billy said in confusion.

"It's Jake, I can no longer hear him, he's phased back into his human form and is on his way back home." She declared, drinking down the last of the coffee.

XXXXXX

Sam handed Jacob a spare pair of shorts and he slipped them on gratefully. His whole body ached. He was covered in cuts and bruises, although Sam had assured him they would heal quickly, apparently one advantage of turning into a mythical wolf. He had phased back quicker than any of them had anticipated, even with Paul hurling insults at him at every opportunity. In fact the cuts and bruises were the result of a vicious fight between the two; Sam had to issue an Alpha command for them to stop.

"Tell Lahote to stay out of my way if he doesn't want me to rip his head off..." Jacob muttered to Sam as he began trying to detangle his long hair, it was a mess.

"You're going to have to cut it." Sam told him. "The length of your human hair dictates the length of your fur when phased; I have no idea why, but being too long gets in the way."

Jacob gave up trying to do anything with his hair. "I haven't cut it since the day my mom died." He confessed sadly.

Sam flinched at that revelation. "I'm sorry, but it needs to be done. Do you want me to...?"

"No..." Jacob interrupted him sounding harsher then he intended. "Bells will do it..."

"Okay, go on home and rest. Your first patrol starts at one am. I will be with you for the first hour to go through the route with you." Sam said instead.

Jacob nodded tiredly. "Alright, see you later..."

"See you later, Jake." Sam watched as the newest member of his pack headed out of the tree cover and walked slowly toward home.

XXXXXX

Bella stood leaning against the doorframe of the house waiting for Jacob's return. Billy's emotional and physical exhaustion had caught up with him so Bella had helped him with his medication and then onto bed for some much needed rest. She assured him she would let him know when Jacob returned. It was another hour before she finally caught sight of him jogging slowly through the light rain. His shoulders were hunched as he made his way toward the house and her heart leapt into her mouth when she saw the state of him. She pushed away from the door and began to run toward him, her long hair streaming out behind her like a banner.

Jacob's head shot up as a familiar scent hit him, it was hard getting used to such enhanced senses, but this was a beloved scent. His keen eyesight picked out Bella as she ran as fast as she could to greet him and for the first time since his transformation he smiled. They met in the middle, the rain pouring down, soaking them both as they wrapped their arms around each other, revelling in the joy of being reunited. With her arms wound around his waist, her fingers digging into his slick skin, Bella pressed her head to his chest and gave out a relieved sigh.

"You're back..."

Jacob rested his head on her shoulder and breathed her in. His arms held her tightly to his body and she could feel every ridge and groove of his hardened torso pressed to hers. This was what brought it home to her, Jacob the happy go lucky boy was gone and in his place was a full grown, muscle bound, gorgeous man. Her protector, her Jacob...

A/N-I'm sorry to stop it there but I am just too tired. I am going to crawl back to bed now, sighs. Damn flu :(


	7. Chapter 7

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-Thanks so much to everyone who left such kind reviews on the last chapter, your kind wishes and insightful feedback really made my day! Thank you all so much! :) It's been a slow recovery but I am getting there, my poor son has it now :( so I am afraid once again my updates will be very erratic for a while and I may not be able to answer every review again I am afraid, sorry! **_

_**Thanks again for all of your support! **_

_**Nikki :) **_

**Part Seven**

Jacob sat on a chair in front of Bella, who was standing behind him, a pair of scissors in her hand. She had gathered Jacob's long silky black hair into a ponytail and was finding it hard to do as he asked. "Are you sure about this, Jake?"

He craned his neck to look up at her, his dark eyes showing the depth of his emotion. "It has to be done. You saw how long my wolf's fur was. It got caught on all the undergrowth and gets in the way. All of the pack has had to cut their hair short because of it. "

Bella sighed and stroked the back of his head gently, running her fingers through the thick silky strands. It felt like she was cutting an arm off or something. She knew how upsetting this was for Jake; he had not cut his hair since his mom's death. "Okay," she said regretfully. "Here goes..."

She snipped carefully through the ponytail at the nape of his neck, wincing when it came away in her hand. She held the long swathe of his hair and stared at it. An idea began to form in her mind as she tied the end off with an elastic band and placed it gently on the table. "Jake, I know that you never cut it because of your mom, what if we take this to your mom's grave and place it with her, in a nice box or something."

Jacob felt tears sting at his eyes, he reached behind him and caught hold of Bella's hand, kissing the open palm with his warm lips. "That's a beautiful idea, thanks I would like that."

Bella smiled, leaning down she slipped her arms around his neck and hugged him, placing a kiss of her own on the top of his head.

XXXXXX

Billy emerged from his bedroom where he had managed to find some much needed rest. He had been heavily asleep for over two hours. He guided his chair down the small hallway; he could hear Jacob and Bella conversing with each other as he drew near the living room. His son was laughing at something she had said and his heart eased, Bella had been right, Jacob was really okay.

"Hey Jake, Bella..." He greeted them both as he joined them in the living room.

Bella turned and smiled at him while Jacob just nodded. Billy let out a small sigh, so Jake was still pissed at him then. He went straight over to his son and looked him in the eye. "I know you are angry at me, Jacob. Come on; just let it all out..."

Jacob exchanged a look with Bella. She excused herself and left them alone while she went to clear up the kitchen. Billy waited for Jacob to speak first; it seemed to take his son a few moments to gather himself together before he finally spoke.

"I am sorry for frightening you, dad. That was not my intention..."

"Frighten me? When?" Billy felt confused. He had not expected this.

"When I confronted you about what Bella had told me. I never meant to let my anger get the better of me. "Jacob revealed.

Billy shook his head. "You have nothing to apologise for. I understand why you were angry, you couldn't help it anyway. You were close to phasing; the anger is an unwelcome side effect of the change. I am the one who needs to apologise to you. What you said was right, I should never have kept you in the dark. Believe me Jake I tried my best to get the tribal council to see sense, they are just so damn set in their ways."

"I know and I should have tried to see your perspective too. I know that you just cannot go against them; I forget how much pressure you are under with what you have to deal with on a daily basis with the tribe's problems. You are never able to switch off. So please let's just get past it, yeah..." Jacob asked hopefully.

Billy felt like he was getting off far too easy, he saw Jacob glance Bella's way again and he knew that it was her influence that had been instrumental in getting his son to see his side of things. He too shot her a grateful smile and she returned it with one of her own. He turned his attention back to Jacob. "Agreed," he said happily, holding out his hand for Jacob to shake. His son gave him a rueful smile before doing just that.

XXXXXX

The night was drawing in and Bella knew that she was going to have to return home. Jacob was going to accompany her and stay with her until he was needed on patrol. They both bid Billy goodnight, he was expecting a visit from his friend Harry Clearwater. He too was a member of the council and was of the same mind as Billy, the elders needed to see that living in the past and holding onto the old ways was holding them all back. They needed to adapt to an ever-changing world.

As Bella drove the truck back to Forks, Jacob kept going over in his mind everything that Sam and then Bella had revealed to him. It had been an emotionally and physically tiring day and he felt his eyelids drooping, he fought the tiredness as hard as he could. Bella glanced his way and saw him battling to stay awake; once again she thought how adorable he was.

"Once we get back to mine, I want you to get some sleep. If you are going to be up for most of the night you need to get rest now." She suggested.

Jacob yawned and rubbed his eyes irritably. "I don't want to waste time sleeping. We have hardly had any time together today as it is." he complained. "I spent a big portion fighting Paul and..."

Bella giggled. "I know..."

Jacob frowned. "Huh? How do you know? I never told you that part yet..."

Bella's face turned red as she realised she hadn't let him know about being able to hear his thoughts when he was phased. It had flown out of her head what with having to cut his hair and then talking things through with his dad...she bit her lip in trepidation, wondering how he was going to take the news. She gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"There's something I haven't told you yet Jake..." she said sheepishly.

He gazed at her in confusion. "Go on..."

"Well I don't know why or how but I can hear you when you are in your wolf form..." she said quickly.

"Hear me?" he echoed in alarm.

"Yes, your thoughts, only yours...as soon as you phased I could hear you in my head."

This time it was Jacob's cheeks that were slightly flushed as his mind began to race, he tried to recall if he had let slip any thoughts about how he felt about her or the daydreams he had of them being together. It had been shocking to experience it first hand with Paul's salubrious thoughts echoing through the pack mind. Jared seemed more able to control his thoughts, so did Sam. Jacob sank lower in his seat.

"You heard everything I was thinking?" He asked cautiously.

Bella guessed what had him so worried. "You didn't reveal any secrets, Jake. When I say hear your thoughts, it was more random ones, maybe ones that were necessary for me to hear, such as that you were okay and being helped by Sam."

Jacob relaxed. "Are you okay with that? It doesn't freak you out or anything? You seem really calm about all this Bells..." he said with concern, maybe she was going to have some sort of delayed reaction.

She turned quickly and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, after what I have been through with the Cullen's, hearing your voice in my head when you're phased is a piece of cake."

This time it was Jacob who laughed. "You're so weird Bells..." he said playfully.

"Says the boy who turns into a giant dog..." she teased him back.

"Woof..." was all he said in reply as they both collapsed with laughter.

XXXXXX

Bella parked the truck in the driveway of the house and pushed on the driver's door to open it, as soon as the first draught of air wafted into the truck's cab, Jacob became rigid. The sickly sweet aroma of leech stink burned his nose. He reached across and yanked the door shut, causing Bella to stare at him in alarm.

"Jake?"

"Vampire..." He growled.

Bella shrank back against him. "Edward?"

"No...not him...I don't know this scent..." He was breathing heavily trying to control the urge to phase. Damn it, were they not allowed any time to relax. "Switch places, I am going to get you out of here..."

Bella nodded dumbly, she was about to slide past him when something caught her eye, a sleek black Mercedes was parked just down the road from her house, she recognised Carlisle's car at once. Her brow furrowed, why would he be here?

"Jake, I think it might be another Cullen. See that black Mercedes, which is Edward's father's car." She pointed out into the dark night.

Jacob glanced in the direction she was pointing. "Why the hell would he be here? Unless he is looking for vamp junior..." he muttered.

Bella shrugged. "I don't know why."

Jacob thought things over; if it was the Cullen leader he could prove useful in getting his errant offspring out of the way. Jacob did not want Edward Cullen anywhere near his Bella, he was worried that if he got any time alone with her he would use his abilities to try and inveigle himself back into her life. This would be a golden opportunity to make it clear to the coven leader that none of their family was welcome anywhere near Forks or Bella ever again. They had left supposedly for her good so he could damn well take his leech son back to wherever they were now calling home.

"Bells, I am going to confront whoever it is, stay here." Jacob advised, already beginning to open his door.

"No, I will not stay here..." she said stubbornly.

"Bella, please just..."

"No, this concerns me Jacob, I want to be the one to tell them to go..." her voice was determined. Jacob locked stares with her for a tense few seconds before finally relenting.

"Alright, just keep close to me..." He warned.

Bella gave him a grateful smile. Jacob opened his door swiftly and slipped out; Bella crawled across the bench seat and followed him out. She kept right behind him, she saw the disgusted look on his face as he breathed in the stench, and it made him want to gag. They must be in the house as it was coming from the direction of the front door. He strode quickly over to the front door and waited for Bella to hand him the key. He inserted it into the lock and quickly shoved the door open. The bright light of the hallway made them both blink as their eyes got used to the light.

"Oh Bella..." A voice that Bella recognised as belonging to Edward's sister, Alice drew her eyes toward the stairwell.

"Alice? What..." Bella stopped speaking mid flow as she finally took in the scene in front of her. Her father, Charlie was sprawled across the bottom of the stairs, a trickle of blood leaking out of a deep cut that was flayed across the side of his head, his eyes were closed and he appeared comatose. Alice was kneeling by his side, one hand smeared with his blood.

A deep growl erupted from Jacob's chest as he quickly grabbed hold of Alice and yanked her back from Charlie; he shoved her against the wall and held her there with one strong arm. "What the fuck have you done?" He yelled in her face.

Bella ignored Alice's protests of innocence and knelt by her father's side; she felt tears run down her cheeks as she gently stroked his greying hair away from the wound and inspected him closely. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she saw that he was breathing from the rise and fall of his chest. She turned her head and stared up at Alice who was still pinned to the wall by an enraged Jacob.

"Who did this? You know, don't you?" Bella yelled up at her.

"I'm sorry Bella...I came back as soon as I saw what was going to happen, I was just a bit too late..." Alice's bell like tones sounded distraught.

Jacob eased up the pressure on her as he saw how upset she was. "Answer Bella's question..." he said harshly.

"It was Victoria, she is back Bella...she has come back. She was here looking for you..." Alice finally revealed.

Bella felt her head whirling; so much had already happened that day and now this! James' mate was back and she was out for revenge and her poor father had been caught in the crossfire. Emotional and physical exhaustion caught up with Bella at this point as her vision blurred and she fainted clean away...

_**A/N-Thanks for reading! **_


	8. Chapter 8

**Mistletoe and Wine **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Part Eight**

Charlie's eyes flickered open and he winced as the bright strip lights made his pounding head worse. He lifted up a hand and touched his head gingerly, he felt the rough strip of stitches winding in an uneven line along part of his temple and down toward his ear. He dropped his hand back down to his side and swore quietly under his breath. "Shit, I can't believe this has happened to me..."

Turning his head he saw Bella's head resting on the bed by his side, her long brown hair acted as a soft pillow as she slept. She was sitting awkwardly in a plastic chair, her head lolling on his bed. He gazed at her affectionately, he wondered how long she had been there, in fact how long had he been unconscious? He was obviously in a hospital room, he hoped she hadn't been alone when she found him; she had been through enough trauma in her short life. He knew all about that now. Images of the pale faced vampire with the wild red hair assaulted his mind. She had got pleasure out of taunting him about what had happened to his daughter in the past. She had thought it extremely hilarious that he had been kept in the dark about her lover's attack on his daughter; she drip fed him all the gory details as she kept him trapped in his room.

When he had come home after a long shift at work he had been unaware of the intruder, he had headed straight for the stairs and the first thing he was aware of was being dragged by a strong pair of cold arms into his room. Charlie had been stupefied to realise his attacker was a slim, pale faced woman, but even at first glance he could see that she was inhuman. The way she moved around his room like a wild animal and when she flashed her teeth at him in a manic smile, the gleam of venom was clear on her teeth, it had taken her only seconds to inform him of what she was. His barrage of questions had at first irritated her but she calmed when she understood that he was in the dark about everything. That was when she began to tell him the whole sorry saga from her point of view. The hatred she felt toward his daughter and her lover was etched all over her face as she spoke. She was determined to make Bella pay for the loss of her lover, someone she referred to as James.

All through this Charlie had been attempting to think of ways to escape and, when she once again turned her back toward him as she looked out of his window during a break from her pitiful tale, he had slipped off the bed and made a run for it. She had taken only seconds to reach him, a tussle had ensued but she was so inhumanely strong it was really one sided. The sound of the back door opening had distracted her and he had headed for the stairs, but he had slipped, hitting his head hard on the banister as he reached the bottom, after that blackness...

His musings were interrupted as he felt Bella move beside him, she was waking up. Charlie watched as his daughter shook the hair out of her eyes and yawn before glancing over at him. Her brown eyes, the mirror of his own, widened in shock to see him awake.

"Dad, thank god..." she said delightedly, reaching for his hand. "You're awake..."

Charlie swallowed thickly. "Yes, I am now..." he said sadly.

Bella appeared confused. "I don't understand..."

"I know kiddo, all of it..." Charlie informed her gently.

Bella's expression faltered as realisation kicked in. "You know about..."

"Yes, I know that the Cullen's are vampires and what happened to you at the hands of that mad red headed woman's lover..."

Bella's lower lip began to tremble as she stared at her dad. "I'm sorry...so sorry..."

Charlie let out a long sigh and patted her hand. "No, I am the one who is sorry. I have been blind this whole time Bells. There were so many things that did not add up about Cullen and his family. I was blind to what was in front of me and because I was scared to lose you again, I allowed the monsters to hurt you. It will not happen again..."

"Dad, there is nothing you could have done..." Bella protested. "You can't stop vampires, they are too strong..."

"I am aware of that, I saw it firsthand. That woman, she was unbelievably strong. As soon as I get out of this hospital Bella we are packing up and getting out of this area. I will not have you placed in danger again, that female is out there hell bent on some sort of sick revenge and I need to get you to a place of safety." He said determinedly.

Bella was getting angry, she knew his intentions were good but he needed to know that running was not an option. "Listen to me dad. Victoria will track us down wherever we flee. I am not running away, I have protection, they are at this very moment out there hunting her down and once they find her she will not live."

Both father and daughter were unaware that the hospital door had been inched open as Billy nudged his way into the room. He caught the tail end of their conversation and understood that Charlie now seemed to be aware of everything.

"Who are you talking about, Bella. Who on earth would be able to attack a creature like her? You cannot stay here and that is the end of it..." Charlie's voice rose in frustration at his daughter's stubbornness.

"My son and his friends are the ones your daughter is talking about old man. You better calm down before you burst a blood vessel. "Billy made them both jump as he entered the room fully.

Charlie struggled to sit up and groaned as his head spun, he slumped back against his pillows. "Should have known you would be involved Billy Black..." he muttered.

Billy gave him a big grin which made Charlie scowl. "Nice to see you are already back to your normal charming self, chief."

Charlie gave him a dark look. "Enough of the pointless banter and start talking Billy, what has Jake got to do with protecting Bella?"

Billy nodded in agreement. He manoeuvred his chair over to the side of the bed and looked his old friend in the eye. "You have to listen rationally, Charlie. No matter how pissed you get with me now or later, my son and his friends are risking their lives. Nothing was hidden from you because we wanted to, but you know my responsibilities to the tribe, there are some secrets I couldn't tell you."

Charlie rubbed his hand over his face. "Tell me now, Billy..."

Billy made himself more comfortable and finally revealed everything to his oldest friend while Bella sat silently by their side.

XXXXXXX

Jacob and the others had been out for hours searching for Victoria, but the only traces of her were old ones, there were no fresh tracks anywhere. Everyone was getting tired and frustrated with the situation. After Bella had fainted Jacob had vented his anger at Alice Cullen. They had bickered badly as Jacob scooped Bella up into his arms and lay her carefully down on the sofa, examining her over carefully. She was already coming to. He gave her a smile of relief when her eyes fluttered open.

"Honey, you gave me a scare..." he had said softly, smoothing her hair back from her flushed face.

"My dad...we need to get him to a hospital." Bella had replied, struggling to sit up.

"It will be quicker if I take him in the Mercedes."Alice had interjected, she was standing at the back of the room, not comfortable being too near Jacob.

"No..." Jacob had growled out, glaring back at the little pixie leech as he had already nicknamed her in his head.

Bella reached up and cupped Jacob's cheek in her hand. "Please Jake, Alice is right, it will be the quickest way. I need to get him help."

Jacob had not been happy at all about excepting help from a leech, especially a Cullen, but what other choice did he have. So it was he found himself wedged in the back of the luxurious car, a comatose Charlie Swan draped across him. He spent the journey holding his breath; the leech smell was giving him a headache. The little pixie drove fast and they were there within minutes. Carlisle had a lot of contacts at the hospital still and after Alice made a call to him, Charlie was inside and being treated quickly and efficiently, for that alone Jacob was glad.

While this was happening Alice had informed them that she would be leaving again to meet up with the other Cullen's. Carlisle and Esme were already packing up their belongings and heading back to Forks, Jasper would be accompanying them. Rosalie and Emmet had been called back from their holiday in Africa. The only missing link was Edward. Alice knew he was back around in the area but had no clue where he was at this moment.

"He keeps changing his mind about things. I cannot get a lock on his intentions. He spent most of the time he was apart from you tracking Victoria." Alice had told a shocked Bella.

"Well he made a piss poor job of it." Jacob had seethed, being very careful to keep himself between Bella and the little pixie.

"Edward is no tracker, he was doing his best. He loves Bella..." Alice had bristled, jumping to her brother's defence. "If he knew about Charlie he would be by your side right now. I know these dogs have been keeping him away from you, I..."

Her words enraged Jacob so much that he began shaking again; Bella became so alarmed that he was going to lose control that she had yelled at Alice to just go. She had protested at first claiming that she could not leave Bella in the company of an uncontrollable shape shifter. This had kicked off Bella's own anger, she did not give a damn right now about Alice, Edward or any of the Cullen's. All she was interested in was seeing her dad.

"Just go Alice. I do not want you, or if you do track him down, Edward either."

"Bella please, I never meant..." Alice had tried to get closer to Bella but Jacob would not allow it.

"You heard her," he had said harshly. "Leave."

They had both watched as a crestfallen Alice made her departure, calling out to Bella that she would be in contact.

XXXXXX

Jacob bid goodnight to Sam and the others. They were going to regroup in the morning, there was no more they could physically do, they were all exhausted. Sam was on his way to check once again on Embry Call, it was now more certain than ever that he would be joining their numbers in a matter of days. Jacob felt pity for his friend but with all the shit he had been dealing with himself he found it hard to be empathetic. He hoped that Bella would be back from the hospital by now, although he wasn't sure she would leave her dad anyway. If she wasn't at his house he would go have a quick shower and change then head up to the hospital. He would drive the Rabbit.

When he finally reached his house he opened the door and dragged his tired body into the living room. He nearly fell over when he saw Charlie Swan arranged comfortably across the sofa, a blanket draped over him. He looked pale and it made the newly put in stitches stand out in stark relief across his head. Bella was hovering by her father's side trying to make sure he was comfortable. As soon as she saw Jacob though she rose to her feet and ran over to him, slipping her arms around his bare waist.

"You're back..." She murmured with relief.

Jacob cradled her gently against him as he looked over her head at her dad. Charlie was staring at him, almost as if he was studying him. It was making Jacob feel very uncomfortable. "You alright, Charlie?" he asked uncertainly.

"Did you find her?" Charlie demanded instead.

Jacob was startled. He felt Bella pull away from him and he turned his attention to her. "It's okay Jake, my dad knows everything." She informed him.

"Everything?" He questioned.

"Yes son, everything. "Charlie barked. "I thought being a wolf meant you had good hearing or has all that fur got in your ears."

Laughter coming from the kitchen made Jacob narrow his eyes. So that was where his dad was hiding. "Good one Chief..." his father's voice floated out toward him. Billy emerged into view, a tray balanced on his lap; on it were two badly made sandwiches and cans of beer.

Jacob slipped his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her into his side. "What's going on?"

Billy grinned up at him. "We have some guests. The Chief, against doctor's orders I might add, signed himself out of the hospital. I suggested that he and Bella stay here for a while; it will be easier to keep them safe. I know that you and the others will be pretty tired."

Jacob felt the tension and worry ease off. "Great idea, dad."

Billy nodded. "I have been known to have them..." he gave his son another big grin before handing a can to Charlie.

"Dad, you shouldn't be drinking, you have a bad head. What about your meds?" Bella protested.

Charlie glared around at everyone. "Stuff the meds; this is the best cure for a headache. Right Billy?"

Billy snorted with laughter. "Agreed, don't worry Bella your dad is a tough old boot."

"Anyway this weak rubbish that Billy buys is like water. " Charlie smiled widely as Billy turned and scowled at him. Jacob and Bella laughed as Charlie winked at Billy and raised his can before taking a long drink.

_**A/N-thanks for reading! More coming soon...**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Mistletoe and Wine**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

_**A/N-Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter...**_

**Part Nine**

Charlie was fast asleep on the Black's sofa, his long legs dangling off of the end. Jacob had offered him his room but Charlie had declined stating that the kid needed all the rest he could get, as he was the one placing himself in danger every time he went out on a patrol. He seemed comfortable enough if his loud snores were anything to go by. Billy complained that he sounded like a freight train.

"Is he always this loud?" Billy asked Bella as he poked Charlie in the ribs. Bella's father just issued another loud grunt and turned on his side.

Bella gave Billy a sheepish smile. "Yes, I found it hard to sleep when I first moved back home but then I sort of got used to the noise."

"I think this is going to be a very long night. I am beginning to think Jake is the lucky one being away from this." Billy grimaced as Charlie began muttering in his sleep about arresting them all. "Well good night Bella."

"Night Billy..." Bella watched him manoeuvre his chair down the small hallway toward his room. She turned back and regarded her father carefully. He seemed remarkably okay even after his confrontation with Victoria. Her dad was a resilient man and she regretted not letting him in on the secret earlier, what a lot of trouble could have been avoided. Charlie began talking in his sleep again, something about his coffee not being made properly. Bella tried not to laugh as she left him alone and made her way to the twin's old room where she would be spending the night.

XXXXXX

Jacob and Sam cornered Embry against the side of the cliff along First beach. He had finally succumbed and phased unexpectedly after a heated confrontation with Paul, who had been sent to keep an eye on him. Embry had demanded to know what Lahote was spying on and an argument had ensued between them, moments later another wolf had joined the pack. Hearing his best friend in his head only made Embry panic more and he had taken off, stumbling badly on his four legs trying to outrun what had happened to him. In the end exhaustion and fear had worn him out and now Jacob and Sam were trying to get through to him.

"I don't understand how this could be happening..." Embry's thoughts were laced with fear. "Explain again."

Jacob left it to Sam to try and make Embry understand why he had suddenly sprouted four legs and fur. He recalled his own fear and panic when he had phased, it had only been the fact he already knew what to expect and having Bella be so close that had made his transition a lot easier.

"Come on dude you will be fine. It's actually kinda cool being able to do the things we do..." Jacob tried to sound encouraging.

Embry's legs trembled as he tested them out again. "How long until I am me again?" He asked unhappily. "This is all so weird."

"Oh just get used to it whiner, we all had to." Paul's sarcastic voice echoed through the pack mind.

"Do you enjoy pissing people off Lahote?" Jacob felt his anger rising, he loped over to Paul and bit the end of his tail, making the other wolf howl.

"What the fuck was that for?" he confronted Jacob, his whole body quivering.

Jacob barked a laugh. "Teaching you a lesson, dumbass."

Within seconds Paul launched himself at Jacob and they began another vicious fight, whirling over and over in a mad dance. Embry's wolf eyes stared at them in alarm. "They are going to kill each other..."

Sam snorted through his nose. "Don't stress, Paul and Jake are always pushing each other's buttons. They will stop in a second. Paul always loses..."

"Is it always like this?" Embry questioned again as Jacob pinned Paul down and began to shake him by the scruff of the neck.

"Yep buddy it sure is, welcome to the la Push wolf pack..." Sam gave Embry a wolfy grin causing Jared to howl with laughter.

XXXXXX

Jacob paired up with Embry to show him the ropes, for the rest of the night into the early hours of the morning they patrolled the borders of La Push, even going so far as to check on the Swan house. They both sniffed around the property carefully, trying to see if they could catch even the faintest scent of the red head. The only scent of hers was old from the time she had attacked Charlie. However there was a fresh scent, all the hackles rose up on Jacob's back as he detected the sickly sweet smell of old ladies perfume. Edward Cullen had been around and very recently. Jacob let out a low growl; he was glad that Bella and her dad were at his house. The Cullen creep had probably tried to get into Bella's room thinking she would be asleep. Could the vamp get any creepier, how had Bella stood the invasion of her privacy for so long?

He saw Embry's nose wrinkle in disgust. "That vile stench belongs to one of the Cullen family, Edward Cullen to be exact. He is back on the scene and hanging around trying to get near Bella."

"Ugh I don't think I am ever going to get used to the smell. Are all the vamps this bad?" Embry thought.

"He is the worst, although none of them smell pretty. You need to get used to it bro." Jacob teased him.

Embry let out an irritated whine. "What a night, I am just about done in. How much longer before we can go back?"

"Now dude, I think we have completed our shift. I need to report to Sam and then we're done. Do you think you will be able to phase back?"

Embry let out a long wolfy sigh. "I think so..."

"Cool, let's head back then..." Jacob led the way back toward La Push, keeping an eye out for any further sign of Cullen, but he caught no further whiff of his scent and decided that the leech must have left after realising that Bella was not at home.

XXXXXX

Bella sat at the kitchen table cradling a warm mug of coffee. She had not been able to sleep, it appeared her dad was not the only with snoring issues. As soon as Billy's head hit the pillow he was fast asleep mouth wide open. His snores joined the cacophony that Charlie was making and with some of Jacob's thoughts resounding in her head while he was phased, Bella had given up on sleep. To while away the time she had made up a huge snack for Jacob, knowing that he would be starved by the time he returned, it seemed that excessive hunger was another side effect of his new wolf status.

Bella grimaced as Charlie and Billy's snores reached a crescendo, she was adamant they were trying to outdo each other even in sleep. Her dad had been muttering constantly about arresting various different people, even mentioning their sweet neighbour, a little old lady by the name of Mrs Whistable. She wondered what she had done to offend her father; she was dying for him to wake up so she could ask him. A smile spread across her face, she was well known for talking in her sleep, a trait she seemed to have inherited from her dad.

She checked the kitchen clock, four am. She knew that Jacob was finally on his way back home as his thoughts had entered her head when he mentioned it to Embry. She was so proud of him the way he had handled his best friend's unexpected phasing, he sounded so sure of himself. The only downside was knowing that Edward had been prowling around. Hearing Jacob wondering how she had stood Edward creeping into her room every night made her wince. When he put it baldly like that it did sound odd. How had she ever thought that it was romantic having someone watching her all night? How had she slept with Edward's eyes on her? She had craved any bit of his attention but now that she had been away from his overwhelming presence she began to wonder if she had been in her right mind.

When he had first left she had fallen apart like a broken marionette without the puppet master to pull her strings, she was like a broken doll. It had been Jacob who had pierced her melancholy and made her wake up to herself. She let out a heavy sigh, now not only was Edward prowling around but the other Cullen's would be back soon, once again she would be surrounded by them. She shuddered at the thought; she was determined not to let herself get drawn into their world again. However she knew that with a vengeful vampire after her, the Cullen's would not leave.

The front door opening had Bella on her feet as she ran to greet Jacob. As soon as he emerged into view, she flung her whole body into his waiting arms and held on tight. "You're back..." she whispered in delight, squeezing him around the middle.

Jacob was ecstatic at her greeting and he wrapped his strong arms around her and lifted her clear off the floor, her feet dangling in mid air. "Missed ya..." he declared, daring to kiss her on the forehead.

Bella sank against him in relief, pressing her whole body to his, soaking in his warmth. "I missed you too."

Jacob adjusted her so that he was carrying her bridal style and walked further into the house. His stomach rumbled at the sight of the wonderful food that Bella had prepared. The hours of patrolling had taken their toll and he needed food to refuel. Bella laughed at the happy grin that was crossing his lips at the sight of the food. "Put me down Jake and tuck in. I knew you would be hungry."

"You are one awesome chick do you know that?" He put her down gently and sat at the table, tucking in straight away.

"Did you just call me an awesome chick?" She said in amusement.

"Yeah, sorry honey, blame Paul..." he replied through a mouth full of food.

Bella rolled her eyes at that statement, knowing that what he said was true. Paul Lahote had various nicknames for the females in his life; 'chick' was one of the mild ones. "Don't let him influence you too much." she warned Jacob playfully.

"Sorry Bells, it's hard when he is in your head all the time. I swear that guy does not shut up..." he took another bite of his sandwich and sighed happily. This was heaven.

Bella began to giggle and Jacob gave her another one of his trademark grins. He was just about to speak again when twin snores reverberated around the room startling him. First Charlie followed at once by his dad. "Is that why you are awake...my old man can be pretty loud. I never knew yours was too..."

Bella nodded. "Yeah, not only that, but I have had to listen to my dad wittering on about who he wants to arrest. You do know that you are on his list, so is Billy..." She teased him.

Jacob stopped chewing. "Really? What have I done?"

Bella strode over to him and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek. "Something about turning into a giant dog, apparently..."

Jacob put down his food and caught Bella around the waist and pulled her into his lap. "You are a tease, Bella Swan..." he leaned in close so that their foreheads were touching.

Bella felt his warm breath on her skin and she found herself riveted by the intense expression on Jacob's face as he gazed at her. "Jake..." she said softly.

"Bells...I'm sorry honey, but I have been dying to do this since our kiss under the mistletoe..." he told her before leaning in and pressing his full lips onto hers.

_**A/N-Awwww...**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Mistletoe and Wine **

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

**Part Ten**

Jacob kissed Bella softly, moving his lips slowly against hers. He felt her hesitate slightly before she reciprocated. He pulled her closer to his warm body and wrapped his arms around her waist. After a moment Bella ended the kiss and shyly glanced up at him from under her long lashes. "You seem to be experienced in kissing Jake? Have you been practising with another girl?" She teased him.

He laughed softly and raised a hand to stroke her flushed cheek. Her skin felt smooth under his wandering fingers. "Only one...she is one awesome chick. " He said playfully, repeating his words from earlier.

Bella giggled at him as she nestled closer to him. "Well she is a lucky girl that's all I can say." She said closing her eyes in contentment.

"Nah I am the lucky one..." He murmured in reply. "Would you like me to give you more lessons?"

Bella raised her head and smiled at him. "Mmmm...I think I would enjoy that.""

Jacob leaned down and pressed his mouth back onto hers, he felt Bella twist in his embrace as she slipped her arms around his neck and tugged him closer. He wasted no time in testing the boundaries as he intensified the kiss, letting one hand wander up under her shirt so that he could stroke the soft skin along the curve of her spine. Bella smiled as she continued to kiss him, getting breathless as their passion began to heat up.

It was a loud snore from Charlie that tore them apart; they had forgotten he was lying only feet away on the old sofa. Bella rested her forehead against Jacob's and laughed. "Trust my dad to ruin a romantic moment..."

Jacob laughed along with her. "Yep, even in his sleep your dad is making sure that we behave ourselves."

Bella slipped off of his lap and held out her hand. "Come on Jake you need to get some rest. I can see how tired you are." She said, noting the dark circles underscoring his eyes.

"Yeah I must admit I am beginning to feel it now..." He took her hand and allowed her to lead him toward the narrow hallway.

Bella stopped outside of his room and turned to him, an unreadable expression in her large brown eyes. "Jake, can I stay with you instead of sleeping in your sister's old room?" She asked him.

A grin spread across his face as he once again swept her up in his arms, lifting her clear off of the floor. "As if you need to even ask, there was no way that I was going to sleep without you."

Bella smiled back at him happily as he backed into his room, holding her against his body, enjoying the feel of hers pressed close to his own. His tiredness began to melt away as his body began to react to her closeness. He buried his face in her shoulder for a moment trying to reign himself in. They had taken a major step forward tonight but he didn't want to push Bella too far. He gently put her back down on her two feet and gazed at her affectionately. Her hair was all mussed up and her lips were still red from his kisses.

"You're beautiful Bella Swan," he declared leaning down and kissing her softly.

Bella's face flushed red and she hid her face against his chest. "I think that describes you not me..."

Jacob pulled away slightly and slipped a finger under her chin, forcing her head up so that she had to look at him. "You really don't see how lovely and amazing you truly are honey. Believe me I have to keep pinching myself that a girl like you would want to be here with me right now."

Bella's eyes shone as tears welled up in them. "I think it's you who doesn't realise that I am the lucky one. You've saved me Jake, in so many ways...if I don't say it enough, thank you."

Jacob wiped away a tear that had begun to slide down her pale cheek. "I love you, Bells, you know that right?"

She nodded and pressed his hand harder against her skin. "I know, Jake. I know..."

XXXXXX

Bella had a restful sleep wrapped in Jacob's arms. His warmth and comforting presence kept the bad dreams away, even her dad and Billy's snoring could not pierce her slumber. Jacob too slept deeply, his exhaustion sent him to sleep straight away. The last couple of days had been a nonstop roller coaster ride and he hadn't been able to have much rest, he was making up for it now.

It was the early morning light shining through Jacob's half drawn curtains that woke Bella. She opened her eyes and took a moment just to relax against Jacob, he was spooning her from behind, one muscled arm flung protectively across her chest. Turning her head slightly she could see that he was still deeply asleep. She watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed in and out. That was something that she had never witnessed Edward doing, while surrounded by other people he would pretend to breathe to keep up the pretence, but when alone with just her he dropped the act. Sometimes she had found it eerie being near him and not hearing him breathe or the sound of his heart pumping in his chest. Bella gently reached across and pressed her hand over Jacob's heart. It was reassuring to feel the steady thrum as it pumped the blood through his warm veins. He was vital and alive, her protector, her Jacob.

She reflected over the course of their friendship and the budding closeness that was building between them, their relationship had been as easy as breathing, right from the start. As soon as they had reconnected he had managed to break through the protective shield that she had surrounded herself with. "My Jacob..." she whispered softly as she watched him sleep.

XXXXXX

Jacob woke up alone; he sat up abruptly searching the room for Bella. Where was she and what time was it? He peered at his clock radio and was stunned to see it was past midday. He had slept right through the morning. Swiftly leaping out of bed he left his room in search of Bella. Her scent hit him as he neared the end of the hallway, his sensitive ears could hear movement and low chatter coming from the living room. Bella was talking to his dad and Charlie. A sigh of relief escaped his lips that she really was here, safe in his house. A part of him had thought he had dreamed their kiss of the night before.

"Oh finally decided to rise from your pit?" Billy said as he watched his son emerge into view.

"That boy has been up all night protecting us; lay off of him would ya..." Charlie interjected, giving Jacob a sly wink.

Billy bristled at the interruption. "Are you daring to lecture me old man?" He asked suspiciously.

"Hell yeah, you have given me plenty of unwanted advice over the years, now I am living in your house it's time I got my own back." Charlie shot back at him. "In fact I am enjoying my stay here so much I might just move in."

Billy looked at him in horror. "There is no way that is ever going to happen, you kept me and poor Bella awake half the night with your incessant snoring and sleep talking..."

"I do not talk in my sleep..." Charlie retorted. "You're making that up..."

Jacob exchanged an amused look with Bella as the two men continued on with another one of their petty arguments. When his dad mentioned Charlie's sleep talking he saw a smirk cross Bella's face. He wondered what she was thinking. Jacob watched as she strolled over to her dad's side and plumped his pillows for him.

"Actually dad you do talk in your sleep, I heard you." She told him nonchalantly.

"I told you Chief..." Billy crowed in delight.

Charlie looked utterly mortified. He gazed at his daughter as she pushed on his chest so that he was lying back down against the pillows; he still needed plenty of rest. "What was I saying then?" He asked her.

"Well apart from muttering that you were going to arrest everyone we know, it appears that your deputy doesn't make your coffee the way you like it..." She said mildly.

"No I did not..." he scoffed as he heard Billy snort with laughter.

"It's true I swear, you even said that you were going to arrest Mrs Whistable, she is eighty one dad, what has she done to offend you?" Bella looked at him innocently, trying to keep a straight face.

"She lets them cats of hers pee all over my lawn. Honestly I am sure she has trained the little horrors to do it. They never foul hers." He answered her, all seriousness.

The others couldn't help it; they burst out laughing at this admission. Charlie's face reddened further with annoyance and he turned his back to them sulking.

"Aww dad I was only teasing..." Bella apologised quickly.

"Whatever ...I am going to have a nap. Tell the old fool behind me to keep the noise down." Charlie said irritably.

Billy grinned widely. He had not had so much fun in ages.

XXXXXX

Jacob and Bella took a slow walk along First beach. Bella had made Jacob a huge lunch and after he had quickly wolfed it down, he had declared he felt like some fresh air. They strolled along the sand, hand in hand. Jacob had taken off his shoes and was letting the surf wash over his bare feet. Bella felt too cold to do the same so she stayed close to his side, soaking up his warmth. It was nice and peaceful to finally be alone and just relax. They didn't feel the need to fill the silence with pointless chatter; it was enough to just be together.

Bella was thinking over what Jacob had said the night before when he had admitted that he loved her. A warm glow spread over her body as she pictured him saying the words and the intense look in his dark eyes as he made the declaration. That was what was so great about him; he was fearless and never held back how he felt. He had simply just let her know and had not pressed her to tell him the same. She glanced up at him as they continued on with their walk and he flashed her one of his happy smiles. Bella knew that she loved him, it had been a gradual process, something that she had not been aware of, it had just happened. Jacob had been brave and told her how he felt; it was now her turn to do the same.

She tugged on his hand, making him pause. "Everything alright, Bells?" He asked curiously.

Bella swallowed nervously as she stepped in front of him, taking both of his hands and pressing them to her chest. He could feel the rapid beat of her heart and he gazed at her in confusion. "Jake, last night you told me how you felt..."

"Yeah, I love you..." He said again."Don't worry honey; I am not expecting you to say the same, I..."

"Hush Jake, I am trying to tell you I feel the same." Bella interrupted him. "I love you too."

"You do?" Jacob held his breath, thinking that he must have misheard her. Had she really just admitted she loved him back? "Say it again..." He whispered.

"I love you..."

"Again..."

Bella laughed at she told him again. "I Bella Swan love you Jacob Black."

Jacob gathered her up in his arms and whirled her round and round making her head spin. She leaned her head back laughing. Jacob grinned with delight as he saw how carefree and happy she appeared; to him she had never looked more beautiful.

_**A/N-I missed writing Jake. Fluffy I know, but I needed a break from all the angst, LOL ;)**_


End file.
